On Dec. 7, Congress passed legislation to fund federal agencies for an additional two weeks. The federal government had been operating under a continuing resolution (CR) that was set to expire at midnight on Dec. 8. The new CR funds government operations until Dec. 22, giving Congress additional time to reach a funding deal for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2018.

Congress faces several intense weeks of work. In addition to finalizing a spending deal before the new deadline and avoiding a government shutdown, legislators are pushing to finish work on tax reform legislation. The House and Senate passed different versions of the measure and a conference committee has been convened to work out the differences.

On Dec. 6, NSF Assistant Director for Engineering Dawn Tilbury testified about NSF's Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program at a hearing of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee's Subcommittee on Research and Technology. She described the four components of the I-Corps program, noted several highlights including the existence of 8 "Nodes" involving 28 universities and talked about next steps for the program. "The I-Corps program has been a significant positive addition to the NSF investment portfolio," she stated. "Even though it constitutes less than one-third of one percent of the NSF budget, recent data shows I-Corps teams have collectively raised over $250 million in seed capital." Her testimony is available on the website.

For tools and resources about the impact on NSF's investments, please see the NSF Toolkit.